Answers
by WriteChristineR
Summary: Oneshot. Future fic. Two years after Roy Montgomery's death, Kate gets an unexpected call from his daughter.


**Author's Note: **I've wanted to do something kind of honoring Captain Montgomery since Knockout aired, so this is me finally doing that in a round about sort of way. I'd love to see something like this really happen on the show. Whether it will or not, I obviously don't know. But I do think it's plausible, eventually.

Oh, for the record, I actually did a decent amount of research for this fic, and I didn't just make up the name Rebecca. According to IMDB, Roy's daughters' names are Rebecca and Mary.

It's about two years into the future. Castle and Beckett are dating. And that's about all the background info you should need, besides what's in Knockout, obviously. The T rating is for safety, and for a short Casketty moment at the end.

Enjoy!**  
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><p>Castle leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face. "Done for the day," he sighed. "I say we celebrate<p>

She glanced up from her desk and raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Celebrate what?"

"Solved a case, finished your paperwork, we have a day off tomorrow… what more do we need to celebrate?"

She scribbled a signature on the bottom of the page in front of her and met his eyes. "_Now _I've finished my paperwork. And _I_ have the day off tomorrow."

"Right, which means I do too. Come on, let's go to dinner. It's been over a week since we've had a real date."

She smiled, ready to concede, but then the phone on her desk started ringing. It was a little unusual to be getting a call so late in the day, but she held up a finger to Castle and picked it up. "Beckett."

"Detective Beckett, hi." The voice on the other end was female and sounded young, a little unsure. "I'm sorry if this is weird, you don't really know me… My name's Rebecca Montgomery."

Her heart immediately dropped, because she did know the girl. Not personally, but she instantly recognized the name. In some ways she'd been expecting this call for about two years, although she'd also been hoping it wouldn't come. "Rebecca," she said, looking at Castle. "You're Roy's daughter."

Castle's playful expression immediately neutralized. His eyebrows knitted with something akin to worry, although Kate well knew Castle's worried face by now and this wasn't exactly it.

"Yeah." The girl sounded relieved that Kate had recognized her name. "Look, Detective, I know you knew my dad. He used to talk about you a lot, and I remember you gave the eulogy at his funeral." She was a little flattered that the captain had talked to his family about her, and even more relieved that the girl didn't mention the way her speech had been cut short. "It's been more than two years now since he was killed, and I was wondering if you'd mind meeting with me. Just to talk for a little while."

She didn't have to think twice. "Yeah, absolutely. When do you want to meet?"

"Could it be tonight? I'm sorry, I understand if you're busy…"

"Oh." Beckett frowned and looked at her desk, trying to decide what to do. "No, you know what, I actually don't have plans for tonight." She shot Castle an apologizing look. He frowned but nodded. "Where?"

Rebecca gave her the name of a diner just outside of the city. "Is that okay?" she asked.

"That's fine, I know exactly where it is. Do you mind if I bring someone with me?" With her eyes, she asked Castle if he'd be interested in accompanying her, and he nodded fervently. "He was a friend of your dad's as well."

"Yeah… okay." Rebecca didn't sound excited about the addition, and Beckett understood why, but if her suspicion about where the conversation would be going was correct, she didn't want to face it alone. And if it was just anecdotes about her father's life that the girl was looking for, Castle had as many of those as she did, and he could tell them better.

"Great." She nodded at Castle. "What time?"

"Will eight work for you?"

She glanced at the clock. It was almost seven now. That didn't give her a lot of time, but she could make it work. "Yeah, that's fine. See you then."

"See you then," the girl echoed. She hung up.

Beckett turned back to Castle and sighed. "I'm sorry, I guess our plans changed."

He smiled a very small, quiet smile, different from his usual. "Hey, I still get to spend the evening with you. I'm a happy man."

She stood up and nodded for him to follow. "Let's go."

"So Montgomery's daughter wants to talk with you," Castle surmised, frowning, when they were in the elevator. "Any idea what about?"

She nodded. "She didn't say, but I have an idea." When the elevator reached the ground floor and he still hadn't asked, she decided to supply it without prompt. "I knew one of them would try to contact me one day. Rebecca is his oldest daughter, it makes sense that it was her. She's getting older, it's been more than two years since he was killed… she wants answers."

"You don't know that," he said firmly, the almost-worried look back on his face. By this point they'd reached the car, and he got in the passenger side door. "Maybe she just misses her dad and wants to talk to somebody that knew him."

"I really hope you're right." She started the car. "But I doubt it. I know what I wanted when I was in her position."

His voice and face both softened. "Not everyone's like you. She might not want to know."

She didn't argue, trying to accept his attempt at comforting, but she couldn't quite settle the feeling in her gut.

"But if that is what she wants…" he said after a long silence, "…what are you going to say?"

"I don't have any idea." She stared straight at the road, deep in thought. "I feel like I owe it to her, as someone who's been there, to tell her the truth. It's a code I've always lived by, since I started this job. I've always been honest with the families of victims. I've never really held anything back, not like this. But I promised, I promised myself, I promised _him_ that I would let him die a hero."

"And if anyone should see him as a hero, it's his daughter," Rick put in.

She nodded. "So, I shouldn't tell her." Part of her wanted him to say no, she shouldn't. Or yes, she should. To make the decision for her so she wouldn't have to think about it.

But he didn't. "That's up to you," he said. "She called you, this is your thing. But I will back you, whatever you decide."

She sighed heavily. "I know." She stopped at a red light and was able to flick her glance over to him and make eye contact for a second. "What if it was Alexis? Would you want her to know the whole story?"

As soon as she saw his face, trying for just a minute to turn the scenario around, she regretted asking. It didn't even resemble a fair question. As she began to wrap her mind around the situation she'd posed, Rick dead, both a hero and a traitor, and Alexis coming to her to find out what had really happened, she actually began to feel sick. He hadn't done anything wrong, not anything to deserve seeing what was now playing in his head, especially with his imagination so much sharper than hers. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Don't answer that."

He didn't answer, didn't say anything, just gave her a strained smile to show that he wasn't angry. The atmosphere in the car descended into silence, but it wasn't awkward silence. It was more of a heavy, thinking silence. She tried to process everything, to determine what she was going to say to Montgomery's daughter, but she couldn't come up with anything. She finally decided not to decide anything, just to wait for the moment and see what felt right.

There wasn't enough time to stop at both of their apartments so they could change clothes, so she just drove to hers. Castle had recently started keeping a few things in a drawer there, so he was still able to change from his work clothes into something a little more casual. They'd often joked about the irony, that he was a grown man who kept a drawer full of clothes at his girlfriend's apartment when he had a home and a family of his own, but really it was just convenient. Often situations like this would arise, and they'd only have time to stop at one place. Other times he woke up there and didn't want to take the time to go home and change before work. Although it didn't much matter if he was late, he liked to arrive with Kate, drink coffee with her, and start the day together. It had become a kind of ritual.

Before long they were in the car again, this time headed for the suburbs where the Montgomerys lived.

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><p>Kate spotted Rebecca as soon as she entered the restaurant. "There." She pointed her out to Castle. "That's her."<p>

"Well great. Go sit down. Need I remind you, she didn't want to meet with me?"

"Right." She walked up to the booth where the girl was sitting. "Rebecca," she said, extending her hand. "Hi. I'm Kate."

Rebecca shook her hand and smiled. "Hi."

Kate slid into the booth across from her and nodded to Castle, who'd lagged a couple of paces behind. "This is my friend Rick," she said as he sat down in the booth beside her. She hadn't meant anything by introducing him as her friend, she just didn't want Rebecca to feel ganged up on, or like she was the kind of woman who couldn't do anything without her boyfriend.

"Rick…" Rebecca said as she shook his hand. "Castle?"

He smiled and nodded once.

"Right. My dad used to talk about you sometimes too. I've read some of your books. They're not bad."

"Not _bad?_" he started, but Kate shot him a look and he stopped and cleared his throat. "I'm glad you like them."

The waitress chose this time to take their drink orders, which was good, as it gave them an opportunity to change the subject. But the one Rebecca chose would not have been Kate's first. "So you two are finally together?"

Rick smiled, and Kate faltered. _Finally?_ "Uh, yeah, we are, but… how did you know that?"

Rebecca smiled. "There was a vibe. I don't know, my mom always says I'm good at reading people. Plus my dad told me you were always secretly crazy about each other."

Kate blushed and found herself suddenly fascinated by the pattern of the fake wood grain on the table. Castle grinned. "You dad used to talk about us at home?"

She shook her head. "Just to me. And I think it was just once… it was an advice thing. There was a boy I liked, but I didn't want to say anything to him, and he told me about you guys… I don't know, after he was gone little dumb things like that seemed a lot more important, so I always remembered it."

Kate took this as her cue to look up again. That was a feeling she knew well. "He was a great man, your dad," she said. "I wouldn't be the person I am today if it hadn't been for him."

Rebecca nodded. "He was a good father too. My mom used to complain he worked too much, but when he was at home he was always with us. I miss him a lot."

The waitress brought their drinks and took their orders, and finally Rebecca seemed ready to say something she'd come to say. Her hand shook just a little as she took a sip of her drink, and Kate smiled encouragingly.

"He was great at his job," she said, "and he loved his job. But he knew it could be dangerous, and he made sure we knew that too. It's not like I expected him to die on the job… I always kind of thought he'd live forever." There were tears in Rebecca's eyes now, but she kept talking. "But he did tell me, and more than once, that if anything ever happened to him and I needed someone to talk to… that I should talk to you."

She felt her eyes widen. This was a twist she hadn't expected. "Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, it wasn't like it was something we talked about often, but when it came up. He just said he trusted you, and that he knew you wouldn't mind."

She looked at Castle for help. She didn't know what to make of this. Had Roy actually known, or at least somehow guessed, at what eventually would cause his demise? Had he _wanted _her to tell his daughter the whole story someday? Or had he simply been talking in general, knowing that she knew what it felt like to lose a parent much too early?

"He trusted you," Castle repeated, and she knew what he was doing. He was saying the same thing he'd said earlier. How much she told Rebecca was entirely up to her. Whether intentionally or not, Roy had left her with those judgment rights.

"He was right, I don't mind meeting with you at all. Your dad was… more than just my boss. He was my friend. And… kind of like another father to me. I still miss him every day."

Rebecca nodded. "So do I."

Kate nodded. "I know."

Rebecca got a look in her eye then, a kind of hardness that Kate immediately recognized. She nodded, but the look was disbelieving. It said, "I know you're trying to help, but you _don't_ know."

She met Rebecca's eyes. "I really do. I'll bet that's at least part of the reason your dad told you I was the one to talk to… my mom was killed when I was just a little older than you."

She took a moment to take that in, and then nodded. "It sucks, doesn't it?"

Kate smiled at the way the girl had put it. It was blunt, but it was accurate. "It really does."

The food was brought and the three of them chatted idly for awhile. It seemed that what Kate said had really earned Rebecca's trust, and most of the awkwardness seemed to fall away. Most of the talk was about Roy, the one thread that ran through all three of their lives, but the conversation flowed naturally to subjects like their work, her school, and family.

She was just beginning to hope that she'd been wrong, that Rebecca really had just wanted to talk about her father with people who'd known him on a different level, when the conversation shifted. "I'm sorry I asked you to do this with so little notice," she said, "but my mom isn't home tonight, and my sister's babysitting my brother, so I finally had the opportunity. My mom… really didn't want me to meet with you."

Kate frowned. "Why not?"

"I, um… I think she guessed what I really wanted to talk to you about."

She felt her heart start beating a little faster. Now they were getting to it. She felt Castle's hand rest on her knee, a simple comforting gesture, and she instinctively moved just a hair's breadth closer to him. "And what was that?"

Rebecca pushed her plate aside. "I'm almost eighteen now. I'm starting to think about what I want to do with my life, and I really feel like I need to do something to honor my dad's memory. I'm thinking about law enforcement."

Kate stared blankly for a second. She hadn't expected this at all. "Law enforcement?"

"I know he really loved his job, and I think he'd be proud if I followed in his footsteps. The thing is, it would kill my mom. So I guess what I really need to know is why he loved it so much. And… how dangerous is it, really? Do a lot of officers get killed on the job?"

Castle's hand retreated immediately, and she glanced at him to find that _his_ face had now hardened, whatever that was about. But she tried to ignore him, because Rebecca's question deserved her full attention. And she could easily give it that. It was a question she completely understood. "The job is about making a difference," she said. "Putting bad people behind bars, and bringing some peace to the people who were wronged. I'm homicide, and so was your dad, so it's mostly making sure the people who have killed don't have the opportunity to do it again. And yeah, it can be dangerous, but I don't know if I'd say a _lot_ of officers get killed on the job… but it does happen, which, of course, you know."

Rebecca nodded, but suddenly Castle was clearing his throat, shifting in his seat, and just generally making a bit of a scene. She kicked him under the table, and he looked at her, irritated. "I knew you were going to underplay that," he said. Then he turned to Rebecca. "I think it's important you realize that the woman you're talking to right now was almost killed in the line of duty. Your father and her training officer both were. It _is_ a dangerous line of work, and if it is what you end up doing your mom has every right to be upset."

_"But_ if it's what you really want to do," Beckett put in, "you shouldn't let her stop you. My dad hatedit when I told him I was going to be a cop. He still hates it. But it was my decision to make, not his."

"Yes, but are you happy with the decision you made?" Castle asked.

"Of course. I love my job." She turned to him. "What, did you think I didn't?" she snapped. "Anyway, how hypocritical are you? You put _your_ life in danger every day, and it's not even your job!" She realized after she said it that her second point was an argument Rebecca didn't especially need to hear, but by then it was too late.

He backed off a step. "Okay, better question. Do you know any cops that shouldn't be cops?"

She sighed. He already knew the answer to that question, as did she. He'd asked it for Rebecca's benefit. "Okay, yeah," she admitted, turning back to the girl. "Castle's right. If you're gonna become a cop, it should be because it's what _you_ want. Not because of your parents, not even your dad."

Castle had retreated, aware that he'd irritated Beckett, right or not, but now she could see that he was again trying to meet her eyes. She indulged him, and he asked, "May I?"

She nodded.

"You know what would really make your dad proud?" he asked Rebecca. "If you found something that you were really passionate about, and you worked hard at it and became the best that you could be. Whatever it is. For Kate here, law enforcement was the right choice because she's passionate about it. She cares about the victims and their families, and because of that she does her absolute best for them every single day. That drive has made her the best detective in New York. And to answer her point about me being a hypocrite, I do it because I'm passionate about writing, and I think living that life day after day really gives my writing more authenticity." He quickly glanced at Kate, who a minute ago had been flattered, but now was rolling her eyes. If only she had a penny for every time she'd heard that… But then he looked back at Rebecca, only at Rebecca, and smiled as if he was about to share a private joke with her. "I also do it because I'm passionate about Kate." Immediately she felt her cheeks heat up, and she bit her lip hard. She. Would. Not. Smile. She would not indulge his annoyingness. "Now, does any of that mean it's the right choice for you?" he continued, still focused on Rebecca. "Maybe. Not necessarily."

Kate literally felt her irritation with Castle melting away, no matter how hard she tried to keep it up. "He's right," she finally said softly. She needed to keep this about Rebecca. "And you know, in my case, I decided to become a cop after my mom was killed because the cops at the time couldn't find her killer. Your situation is different. Your dad's killer is already dead. I mean, if you think law enforcement is the right fit for you, if you really want to be a cop, you should do it. But I think you need to consider all of your options. Don't just do this because you think it's what he'd want."

"I think you should know, too," Castle said, this time without asking permission, "that your dad died trying to protect you, to protect his family." He looked at Kate, including her under that umbrella without coming out and saying it. "Now this is just my opinion, but it's a father's perspective. I think maybe you owe it to him to consider a career that doesn't put your life at risk every single day."

Kate started to protest, but Rebecca actually interrupted her. "No, it's okay," she said. "I hear that. But you're right. It's my decision. And I'm not gonna make it right now." She smiled. "Thanks for talking to me, though. Both of you."

Kate smiled. "It's no problem. And if you ever want to talk about anything again, here." She got a clean napkin out of the dispenser on the table and took the pen that Castle always kept in his jeans pocket. "This is my cell phone number," she said, writing it on the napkin. She passed it to Rebecca. "So you don't have to call me at work."

She smiled, folded it carefully, and put it in her purse. "Thanks. I need to go, but that really helped."

Kate nodded. "Have a good night." She slipped the pen back into Rick's pocket.

"You too." Rebecca got up from the table and smiled. "My dad would be happy that the two of you are finally together."

Kate felt herself blush. Rick chuckled a little, but Rebecca was almost to the door before either of them had a chance to say anything. "Smart girl," he murmured.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Pay the bill and let's go."

Castle consulted his phone for the time. "It's still early. We could go somewhere if you want."

She considered it, but only briefly. "Can we make it tomorrow night?" she asked. "I'm tired."

He nodded. "Tomorrow night. Absolutely." He got out his wallet but then turned back to her. "Was that easier or harder than what you expected?"

She sighed. "Both."

"She didn't ask for answers. Not the kind you were afraid she would."

Kate nodded. "No, she didn't. Not today."

"Maybe she never will."

She shrugged. "Maybe." She still couldn't shake the feeling that one day she would have to answer those questions, the ones about why Roy was killed, the whole story. Even if it wasn't Rebecca who asked she felt sure that eventually someone would, maybe her sister or her brother. But she didn't have to answer them tonight, and that in itself was a small blessing.

Rick kissed her on the cheek, just once, very softly.

She smirked and raised her eyebrows at him before he turned away. "Not your best work, Rick," she chided.

He turned back toward her to retort, but before he could get a word out she silenced him with her lips. The soft vibration of his half-formed word became a very soft moan. She reveled in the way he felt, the softness of his lips, the roughness of his end-of-day stubble against her skin.

"You win," he said, grinning, when their faces finally separated. He got up from the table with his wallet. "Now I really have to pay the bill."

She smiled as she watched him walk away from the table. Maybe one day she would have to answer those hard questions, but not today. Now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time to be happy. Just happy.

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><p><strong>AN:** Let me know what you thought! :) I do want to remind you that this is a oneshot, so please don't ask me to continue. I know I left some things unanswered, and maybe I'll do some sort of sequel type thing at some point, but I'm not planning on it in the immediate future. And yeah, of course if there's something I left out that's bugging you, feel free to tell me about it, but it seems like every time I write a oneshot I get at least one review that says nothing but "Continue." And I'm sorry, I love you all and I don't mean to offend anyone, but that irritates me. So don't do it. Mmkay?

Thanks for reading! :)


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